Tracklayer chain



Feb. 21, 192s. 1,660,099

W.v H. SMYTH TRACKLAYER CHAIN Filed March 28, 1922.

` n l@ n U :GQ U

Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H; sMY'rH, or.

PATENT @Fece BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA. y, A

"` TRAoxLAYEn CHAIN. y

Application led March 28, 1922.2- Serial No." 547,383.

My invention relates" to chains for selflayingtrackf-vehicles-f It has vfor its mam object to'provide a cheap and elfective track` chain adapted-to permit of high speed in self-laying'track motor vehicles. this-endito provide a strong"lightweight Kallaroundvantfi--riction track-chain made up of unmachinedhcastlparts, pressed metal 'and 'stock-material, hence cheap to construct;

and so= devisedfa's to be adapted to belreadily f y of Fig. 1.

Referringto the-drawing A-A1 are chain links'.v 'In .the yform shown they are rightand-let-"handed, though-.this is not: essential.- Otherwisefthey are of substantially similarl construction. Y p N Y TheflinkA is-'provided atone end witha shell a, the other end of the link being'pro` vided with anlinwardly ojset hinge boss-a1 oflikefdiameter as the shell and adapted to co'lactwith'.fthef'shell of a succeeding link as aclosurewall a2 for oneendof its co-acting shell'. The'other end of thel shell is also nor- Inally closed-'by means which will later be y described.` Invthe hinge boss al is a semicircular ended recessoa oneend of which is provided with a hole `a4 through-'the closure wall z2 Fig. 2; f'

The' inner. para of link A is fprefembiyl yribbed' to` Vform avload-bearing trackrail headiaf. In the lowerfside of thelink are two inwardly 'extending recesses @6e-a6 and onreither side'of'therecesses a the metal of the link may project outwardly below' the normal 'lower surface of the link,. as shown at a? in Figs.I lv'and 3. y

A .loosely rollablev sprocket-abutment pin B'projectsl into the hole a4, and r* extends'- acrossrthe fspace between. llinks1-A-A1 into hole a* of link A1 its length being such that And to n' vit isy somewhat shorter than thewidth ofthe chain, to permit of slight endwiseplayf j C is ashortroller seated in' the' recess fc3!` land it extends VintoV shellv a.

inthe section vside-of Fig'. 2. The-pins;

may be made tubular'as shown at itherrighthand-'end of Fig. 1l'. In the.shell-a',above Vand below the rollers B and C are segments D-l)1 loosely ittingbetween their peripheries -and. the innerA circumferential'wall of?V the' enclosingk shell.` The metalof the link forms a Vpartial closure for the 'outer side'of the shell; andf to complete the closure there'y is provided a slidable plate E lush with the,v

outer metal ofthe link.

Upon thewpinl B, between 'the links A-`A1V The roller is.` preferably oflike diameter to pin' B with whichA 1t is'fin rolling-contact, shownclearlg" and rollers C,. for lightness andfair-cooling;-y

is an anti-frictionroller F of adi'ameter suitable to bring its periphery belowthe*l bearing surface of' rail-l1ead 1f/5,' thus-forming a 'two-duty trackway consisting of 'the rrailhead surface for; load-supporting truck 1 wheels and a vparallel'. sided guidewayfor antifriction roller Acoactioni-with .any suitf so rail trackway is shown'v in Fig. 3. l

able chainguide,substantially as'this'guide'- G areground contact'treadLslioes of suit' able dimensions preferably formed f of` pressed metal,y bent upward atvtheir outer 'Y edges. Below the normal bottoni surface fofthe shoe are vintegral pressed sheet=metalcleats g. which 'extend laterally acros's'the shoe-for tractionpurposes.l Cleats g' are pof sitioned .to correspond to the projectionsv" Ne? of the links-A--A1 and tol conform-fin cross-sectional shape thereto, as yclearlyV shown Yin Figrlf atY alf-a7. Corresponding 1n .positionsl and shape `to the recesses foe-ea the metal: ofshoe is reversely pressed on' theline of the cleats. 'Thislrever'sdpressed metal on avline with the cleat constitutes an inwardly projecting loop g1 of the shoe= metal 'whichv vits`v snugly into itscorresp'ondingrecess a6.; this is clearly indicatedinthe' dot-ted'lines at glof Fig. l andf'sh'own at g1,

sectioned,A in Fig. 3,. Holding pins'g2 are driven vthrough holes'in the side metal` off the link so positioned as to pass through the' and tliussecure the tread-shoes loops g1-g1- to :the linksp' v The described construction lends itself to many desirablepmodifications to meet various conditions of operation, manufacture, and use. Some of these are indicated in the figures of the drawings. For example, in the first linkof Fig.2, the projections 'c7-a7 with the associated metal may extend outwardly, and inwardly across the links A--A1 integral therewith and thus form a connecti ing member for the laterally adjacent links,

yposition through and also form a solid filler for thepressed metal cleats. In the links as shown in Fig. 2, the shoe itself maintains the operative relation of A to A1 and the cleat filler is integral with the metal holding means. These cleat fillers with their associated metal ymay extend half-way between the links and serve as convenient lat eral abutments through lwhich the pins g2 would then actasv effective do-wel-pins'.

The assembling andoperationof a trackchain constructed as; above set forth are as follows L Links A-A1, are castfseparate. They are then placed `on the shoe; the loops ofthe shoe and coacting recesses ensure their Aproper positioning and the dowels g2 give a secure but easily disconnected attachment.

The integral cleats serve the function ofv transverse ribs which with the bent up edges of the shoes together constitute the shoe a light but strong and rigid base connection.

for the thus positioned and attached links.

.This constitutes a track-chain unit.

Two of the thus assembled units are now positioned with the yhinge bosses yinserted between the corresponding shells of the other unit. The rollers Be-C, which may be of commercial round stock or commercial piping, and the segments also may be ofsuitable (fhalf-round stock, forfthese parts are loose fitting, are nowplaced the aperture in the shell, and the sliding closure moved into place. This simple assembly process is repeated till the desired length of chain is made.

In operation the links flex onthe line of Contact, of the rollers B-C with anti-fric- `tion rolling action. The rollers F.serve notL only as anti-friction abutments for any coacting driving or driven sprocket-wheel, but also serve as rollers to diminish friction .of the chain when passing around whatever character of idler-wheel or idler guide the chain may coi-act with in operative association.

It is evident that many modifications may be `made without departing from my invention, I therefore desire to claim the invention broadly without other limitations than the claims which follow may rightfully import. f

l. A track chain link comprising. a tread of each track link, f serving principally as registering and shoe shoe, a load bearing track-rail thereon prO- vided with a normally closed shell, a similar track-rail laterally spaced apart therefrom to form a two-rail track, connecting means adapted to maintain the operative relation of the rails, a rollable hinge-pin across the intervening space one of its ends seated in y each of the rail'shell members, a roller in each of the shells in peripheral rolling con-V tact vwith its respective end of the pin and a roller journaled on the pin between the rails.Y

2. A track chain made up of a longitudinal series of tread shoes lbearing inside and outside overlapping hinge link members spaced-apart to form a two-railtrack, each outside overlapping member being provided with a shell having an outsidedirt-excluding closure,-a loose rollable Apin across the intervening space Vand extending through lthe in-` side link member into the shell uniting adjacent overlapping links in hinge association,

antifriction roller-bearing meansin each outf side shell in antifriction cio-operation with the pin and a freely rotatable rollerA jour-- spaced apart to form 'a two-rail track, a. freely rotatable hinge-pin across the intervening space, an antifriction` roller in peripheral contact with the pin ateach of its ends and a roller on the pin between the tracks.

.6. In autrack-chain, links forming( adtwol rail track,- a tread shoe therefor with integral loops of the shoe metal extending inwardly,

pockets in the links having lateral sides reg-k istering with the sides of the loops into which the loops project and pins traversing the links and loops to detachably secure the shoesto the links. i

7. Ina. track-chain, links forming a tvvo-Y rail track, a tread shoe uniting ythe links providedY with laterally spaced ,apart vintegral loops of theA shoe metal projectinginwhardly into the material of the links anda pin traversing each loop and link. to4 secure the links to the shoe and the linksto each other.

8. A track thereon, a similar track-raillaterally spaced apartv therefrom to form a ,two-rail"track,z

means adapted to register the railson the Achain link comprising 'ai-treadiyshoe, a detachable load bearing; track-rail 1,660,099 Y y B shoe in operative relation to each other' conspaced apart to form a two-rail track, means sistng of loops of the shoe metal extending to position the rails consisting of detachable upward into the base of the rails and a locktread shoes having loops extending upward l0l ing pin traversing each rail and loop to deinto tl'ie base ofthe rails and pins traversing tacliably secure the link4 members to each the rails and loops to lock the parts in operother. ative relation.

9. In a traoklayer chain yhaving tracks WILLIAM H. SMYTH- f 

